In Reverse
by Persephatta
Summary: "Thanks for dinner Arceus, I had a great time...even if you did try to put our waiter in the hospital." Alternate Universe. Godmodeshipping.
1. In Symmetry

**Title:** In Reverse

**Genre:** Romance/Friendship

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Arceus and Giratina, Cresselia and Darkrai

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon

Enjoy!

"GIRATINA CREATION!"

A hand slammed down on the open page of the sketchbook, the owner of the hand glowered at the student before him, his face fuming with anger.

She looked up at him casually. "Yes Mr Voltorb?" She spoke in a cool voice which only infuriated him even more.

"Miss Giratina," Mr Voltorb tried to regain his composure before he continued to speak knowing that he could not allow his temper to get the better of him. "This is English Literature NOT Art Class, I believe we have already discussed that you are not allowed to draw during my lessons." He gave her a meaningful look however her face still remained blank of any emotion.

"Yes, we have discussed that matter before, quiet frequently actually. I don't know why you continue to bring it up." Giratina remarked staring at him with expressionless eyes.

Mr Voltorb's face flushed with fury. "Because you seem to be unable to comprehend that you are meant to be focusing on my lesson NOT your silly sketches." His voice was forced and Giratina could tell he was desperately trying to keep his anger under control.

She smirked inwardly, it was too easy. Mr Voltorb was Giratina's favourite teacher to annoy just because it took so little effort. The man already had a bad temper, all it took was a little taunting from her and he would explode much to her amusement. The trick was to keep your face void of any emotion and never show fear. She achieved this effortlessly although the same could not be said for her classmates. They trembled in their seats at the sound of Mr Voltorb's roaring voice, eyes wide with fear and, although they would never admit it, admiration for her as she boldly pushed the boundaries further than they ever dared.

"But Mr Voltorb, I was listening to what you were saying." Giratina insisted with an innocent look in her eyes. "You were telling us about Shakespeare's play Hamlet."

Mr Voltorb was momentarily shocked into silence; he hadn't expected her to actually be listening. He stumbled to think of what to say next. "Nonsense girl, you couldn't possibly have paid attention to what I was saying and focused on your drawings."

"I'm a woman," Giratina stated as if it explained everything, "I can multitask."

"Yes, well…never mind that, you should also be recording what I say so that you can use it in future life." He instructed, now clutching at straws. Giratina was winning and she knew it, he could not allow her victory…again.

Giratina gave him a bored look. "I don't see why it's so important that I learn about Shakespeare, he's just a dead old man who wrote a load of dribble that is nearly impossible to make any sense of."

"Well maybe you could if you listened." Mr Voltorb suggested, glad to have finally thought of a good come back.

However Giratina continued speaking as if she had not heard him. "The only good thing reading Hamlet has taught me is _'_2B_ or not _2B_ that is the question_.'" She smiled in amusement waving a 2B pencil around that she had used to sketch her picture. "No seriously which pencil should I use?" There was a mild titter from a few of her classmates but they were silenced by Mr Voltorb's livid glare.

"That's it!" He yelled furiously. The whole room fell silent, not a sound could be heard. Mr Voltorb's enraged eyes met Giratina's unwavering stare and he scowled at her. Quick as a flash he roughly grabbed her sketchbook off the desk much to everybody's surprise, and he watched with satisfaction as her cool demeanour crumbled into shock and alarm. "I have had enough of your smart remarks and your obsessive need to draw in my lessons." He flipped through the sketchbook, barely glancing at any of the pictures. "If you ask me you're just wasting your time, you have no talent for art whatsoever." He commented cruelly, ignoring the murderous glare Giratina was giving him. He carelessly tossed the sketchbook into a box on his desk labelled 'Shredder' then turned back to face the class.

"Sir, that was uncalled-for, you are a teacher and you are supposed to be encouraging you're young students not insulting their ambitions." Giratina spoke confidently, a spark of determination appearing in her eyes. This was such an out of character side to her usual playfully mocking manner that many of the spectators were taken aback in surprise.

Mr Voltorb smirked tauntingly, so pleased that he had managed to turn the tables that he didn't care how he acted. "I am encouraging you to get out of my classroom." He pointed to the door, his eyes becoming very cold. "Leave." His tone showed no emotion other than demand and Giratina felt she had to oblige.

She stood up, wearing a nonchalant expression; she strolled to the door with her head held high, determined to prove that she had not been defeated and keep as much dignity as she possibly could.

"Perhaps," Mr Voltorb began smugly believing that he had won, "This will teach you that you must respect others instead of scorning them like you do."

Giratina spun back round on her heel to face him so that everyone could see the look of fortitude she wore and the burning fire in her eyes. For a moment she just stared at Mr Voltorb, seeing a flicker of fear pass over his expression at her powerful stance. Her peers watched with baited breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

She opened her mouth to speak, everyone subconsciously leaned forward to hear what she had to say, and then…she began to quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"_Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,_

_Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,_

_Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,_

_Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,_

_And recks not his own rede._"

The class stared at her in awe; even Mr Voltorb's mouth had gone slack. She observed them for a moment, taking in their astonished expressions; then she smiled triumphantly and walked out of the room. She had won, but at the cost of her sketchbook.

Once she was out the room and the door had slammed behind her, she bolted to the Girls' Bathrooms where she collapsed in one of the cubicles, and continued to cry her heart out for the remainder of the hour. Despite the charade she had put on in front of the class Mr Voltorb's comments on her artwork had cut her deep and her strong façade had been shattered.

-888-

Giratina subconsciously swirled her fork around in the pile of mush before her as she found herself drifting through a daydream. The thunderous shrills of voices filling the cafeteria faded into serene silence as she wandered into another world all to herself.

_She floated through a sky filled with broken shards of crystals. The scenery created mirror images of itself in vertical symmetry so that the tops of trees merged into the tops of trees before they disappeared from existence. The normal laws of physics had no effect in this world so that gravity became stronger and weaker as she pleased and time could not control the lifespan of all that was present. This was the only place where she felt she belonged, somewhere completely opposite to the real world where she was nothing but an outcast; here she was in her element. This was her world and her world alone._

Her dream was broken by the sound of someone sitting down next to her. She blinked rapidly as her hazy vision became clear once again, the last of her fantasy world slipped away as she plummeted back into reality.

The first thing she saw was a beautifully drawn sketch of the world she had just been imagining. She reached for it in surprise and picked it up. It was her sketchbook! She wondered how it could have possibly gotten there when she remembered the person sitting next to her and turned to face them.

She had been expecting it to be one of her brothers so she was shocked when she found herself looking into eyes that weren't scarlet red like her own but a lovely pair of chartreuse green that were filled with life.

"Hi." Arceus greeted, in a simple manner.

Giratina continued to stare at him with wide eyes. The initial shock of the most popular and godlike person in the entire school, not to mention the whole universe, sitting next to her still hadn't worn off yet.

Arceus took her silence as a means to continue. "So, I don't know if you've noticed but I'm in your English Literature Class," Oh, she had noticed, the girls in the class wouldn't stop squealing about it. "You probably haven't seen me since I sit at the back of the room whilst you sit at the front." He paused momentarily waiting for a response, when he received none he continued. "Anyway I was watching your...dispute with Mr Voltorb," Who wasn't? "And as surprising as this may sound I was actually impressed by how you responded."

Giratina was barely paying attention to what he said. Although she had finally managed to get over the shock that someone as popular as him was sitting with her, she was now beginning to wonder why someone as popular as him was sitting with her. It appeared that a lot of other people were wondering the same thing as they were attracting a great deal of questioning stares from their fellow peers, even a few glares from some of the girls. Wait! Did he say impressed?

Giratina focused her full attention back on him. "Impressed? You were impressed? You, the perfect pupil, the teacher's pet," She began to list names, "the apple of everyone's eye, the golden boy, the goody-two-shoes, the-"

"I get it." Arceus remarked with a tone that clearly said he was not amused.

"The truth must be spoken." She quipped. Arceus gave her a look and she sensed that he was about to become very unimpressed. "So," She began changing the subject and putting on an innocently sweet smile, "You were saying how impressed you were by me."

"You're very full of yourself." Arceus stated his eyes becoming harsher.

Giratina continued to smile despite it being forced. "Well with men like Mr Voltorb you have to be."

Arceus understood what she meant but he didn't like the idea of backing down to her. "Maybe if you didn't taunt him like you did he wouldn't have been so rude back."

"Would you rather I crumbled in fear." She shot back and Arceus noticed the fire had returned to her eyes. He found it strangely bewitching and felt the need to keep it burning.

"Why do you need to act so tough all the time?" Arceus retorted finding a strange excitement in the way the flames illuminated her scarlet eyes.

Giratina felt herself flare with anger. "Do you think I would still be alive after the amount of hits I've taken if I didn't have such a hard-shell?" As soon as the words left her mouth she froze, realising what she said. The flames in her eyes diminished and Arceus suddenly felt very cold. Her face hardened and she looked at him inquisitively. "Look I'm not going to start discussing my feelings with someone who I barely know and I doubt you came to hear about them, so why is someone as popular as you sitting with a social reject like me?"

The way she spoke about herself made it sound like she was being self-pitying but she honestly wasn't. The truth was she knew she didn't fit in and she accepted it, she didn't really want to be part of the in-crowd anyway. It was possible that she maybe wished she had a few friends to confide in, or that her brothers would stop being so ashamed of her, but she didn't waste time on feeling sorry for herself, life was too short for her to spend it hurting about the way it had turned out.

"Well," Arceus began, "I came to return this." He gestured to the sketchbook which she was clutching tightly to her chest as if afraid it would suddenly be snatched away from her again. "Every time I see you you're doodling in your sketchbook so I thought it would be a shame for Mr Voltorb to shred something you spend so much time on." She stared at him feeling taken aback that not only had he noticed her existence but he actually cared enough to not let her hard work be destroyed. "I might have liberated it from the shredding pile when I walked past his desk, I was going to return it to you outside the classroom but you weren't there. When I didn't find you straightaway I guess you could say curiosity got the better of me and I had a look inside," He smiled at her warmly, "I'm glad that I did save your work from the shredder. Anything as beautiful as your artwork doesn't deserve to be destroyed." Giratina's eyes widened with disbelief but shimmered with gratitude. Seeing this Arceus continued. "Mr Voltorb doesn't know what he's talking about, I've never seen someone with more talent for art than you."

Giratina's eyes brightened and she smiled sincerely. "Thank you." She spoke softly, hugging her sketchbook to her chest, so happy to have it back.

Arceus felt warmth spread through him at the sight of her smiling face but before he could return her smile a thought struck him and he frowned. "I'm sorry if you get into trouble for this, Voltorb will probably think it was you who took it…even if he doesn't have any proof."

"It's okay." Giratina reassured, confidence flooding back into her voice. "I've been in trouble for things much worse than stealing back a sketchbook and I can deal with Voltorb." She winked at him and Arceus felt his cheeks heat up. "So don't worry about me I'll be fine. Besides," She smiled, her eyes softening, "You saved my most important possession from certain doom, you don't owe me anything and I can't thank you enough."

Arceus's mouth was working faster than his mind, "How about you go on a date with me tomorrow then." He suggested before he could comprehend what he was saying.

There was a shocked silence as his words hit them both. Arceus's cheeks reddened with embarrassment whilst Giratina just stared at him with widened eyes her mouth slightly agape. She was so surprised by his sudden proposition that she would have dropped her sketchbook if she hadn't been clutching it so tight.

"You…want to go on a DATE…with…me?" Giratina asked uncertainly.

Arceus pushed aside his embarrassment and nodded, trying to appear more confident than he felt, "Sure, tomorrow is Saturday, why not?"

"And this definitely isn't a joke, right?" Giratina enquired, watching him with suspicious eyes.

"No, definitely not," He protested. He sighed and ran his fingers through his white hair which was decorated with a large grey streak at the roots. "Look I know this is sudden but you seem like a really interesting person and I'd like to get to know you more, so Saturday?" The cool, casual and confident conduct that he was known for had returned. He then added playfully, "It's the least you could do after I rescued your sketchbook from the evil clutches of Mr Voltorb and his shredder."

Giratina pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically, "My hero." She then smiled at him sarcastically.

He grinned back. "Is that a yes?"

Giratina gazed around the cafeteria, taking in all the curious and shocked faces that watched them, none were quite as shocked as the looks that her brothers wore. Dialga and Palkia watched with open mouths and wide eyes as their socially challenged sister playfully bantered with the school's alpha male. Giratina caught their gaze and her grin widened, although she knew they couldn't actually hear what was being said it was still very satisfying to know that just by talking to Arceus she had gotten such a good reaction out of them.

She turned and smiled back at Arceus. "What time?"

-888-

Giratina strolled through the streets, her hips swished as she moved. She was attracting many stares from the male onlookers as she passed them by. Although she may be an outcast at her school that didn't mean she wasn't attractive, there had been a time when many boys had approached her in an attempt to flirt with her only to be given the cold shoulder or frightened away by her bad temper. Eventually word got around and the boys had learnt not to mess with the dark beauty; however that didn't mean they didn't ogle her on a daily bases, they all agreed that Giratina was a stunning woman with adult looks and a mature hourglass figure but her personality was just too fierce for her to be tamed by any man. Yet here she was, heading to a place where she would meet her date for the afternoon, it appeared the taming of the shrew had begun.

She clutched her black leather jacket closer to her and twirled a strand of her waist-length wavy ebony hair which faded into blood red at the tips. Underneath her jacket she wore a black corset-top laced with crimson ribbon, she also had on a jagged skirt that was layered with black and red material, following this was a pair of grey tights and on her feet she wore knee-high black boots. It was possible that she had dressed over-the-top for a casual date but she felt it important to make a good impression since it was her first and she normally did dress in a similar fashion anyway.

She knew that she was early since she wasn't supposed to be meeting Arceus till noon but she couldn't bear staying in the house for a moment longer, what with her brothers continuously teasing her about "how she was finally going on her first date" and that "their little Giratina was growing up". If she had stayed for just another second she knew she would have punched one of them in the face. Of course she had a feeling that they would be waiting to interrogate her when she got home.

Giratina sighed, her brothers were so confusing at times, at school they practically ignored her existence but when they were at home they would bug her until she ended up tackling one of them to ground and starting a wrestling match.

Choosing to force her brothers out of her head she decided that she would do a little shopping to pass the time. She wasn't a big fan of clothes shopping unless it was an emergency, so whenever she went shopping and it wasn't for food she tended to check out the small shops that lined the streets that she was currently walking. A particular shop caught her eye. The store window was decorated with a rainbow of numerous trinkets and items that seemed to glow as the sunlight shone upon them. She decided to go in, taking note of the name that was printed in swirly writing on the sign located above the window; it read _'Sweet Dreams'_.

A bell tinkled as she entered. The inside of the store looked just as magical as the outside only it was filled with much more dazzling items and glittering colours. Giratina gazed around in awe, she wished she could buy all the wondrous objects that she saw but she knew she had no use for them.

"Hello, can I help you." A sugary voice sounded from behind her and Giratina turned around to face a girl that looked about her age.

The girl's whole body seemed to radiate with golden light and Giratina couldn't help but stare in amazement. Her golden hair curved on her head lunate and fell past her shoulders, her fringe was dyed magenta. She wore a blue and yellow dress which reached down to her thighs, underneath she had light blue tights on, covering her arms was a translucent magenta shawl and on her feet was a pair of yellow slip-ons.

"Oh, I was just looking." Giratina replied to the girl's question. She gazed around the room. "I don't think I've been in this store before."

"That's because we only opened a few days ago." The girl informed. "Hi, I'm Cresselia."

"Giratina. So do you run this shop all by yourself Cresselia?" Giratina asked.

Cresselia shook her head. "No, my family owns the store but I tend to work here afterschool or on weekends."

"Which school do you go to?" Giratina enquired, knowing that it wouldn't be hers.

"Sandman's Academy, and you?" Cresselia queried.

"I go to Origin." Giratina replied, wondering around the store as they talked and examining the merchandise.

"Isn't that supposed to be a very prestigious school?" Cresselia questioned.

"Yep," Giratina replied carelessly as she peered at a display.

"It must be a really good school then." Cresselia remarked wishfully.

Giratina glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and frowned. "Honestly, it isn't. The teachers are way too uptight for my likings and the students are so shallow."

Cresselia cocked her head to the side in confusion, "But aren't you a student there?"

Giratina smirked wryly. "I don't exactly…fit in with the crowd." Her eyes lit up in wonderment as her gaze fell upon an item resting on one of the shelves. "That." She breathed pointed towards the item. "I want that."

Cresselia looked to where she was pointing and saw a red chain with a pendant attached to it which appeared to be a golden cross-like wheel that was decorated with four tiny gems and had a glowing chartreuse orb placed in its centre.

"Oh, that." Cresselia exclaimed reaching for the chain and pulling it off the shelf so Giratina could see it better. "This is the Jewel of Life." Cresselia informed, holding in up so that it sparkled in the sunlight. "The wheel changes colour depending on the wearer's mood. It really is beautiful and it would make a wonderful gift but it's very expensive."

Giratina observed the jewel, captivated by its shimmering green colour; she found that it reminded her of Arceus's eyes.

She tore her gaze from the jewel and stared determinedly at Cresselia, "How much?"

-888-

Arceus drummed his fingers on the café table nervously. Once again he glanced at his watch to see that only a minute had gone by since he last looked at it. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair; it was a nervous habit of his. He glanced around anxiously and was disappointed to see many faces but none belonging to the person he was looking for. Maybe she had decided not to come; she had seemed hesitant when he'd asked her. What if she didn't turn up, that really would be embarrassing. He stood up from his seat, ignoring the love-struck stares he was receiving from many of the café's female occupants, and exited the building. He wasn't too far from the café when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Leaving so soon?" Arceus's eyes widened and he swiftly turned around hopefully, his gaze fell upon Giratina whose expression what its usual sarcastic self. "I don't blame you; the cakes there are terribly dry."

Arceus grinned at her bland sense of humour. "Much like your wit I suppose."

Giratina shot him a playful glare and placed her hands on her hips. Arceus noticed that she was carrying a paper bag with the words '_Sweet Dreams_' imprinted on it. His eyes then wondered from the bag to the rest of her, he scanned her over feeling himself get warmer as he took in her appearance.

She noticed, and her lips curved into a smirk. "Like what you see?" She enquired teasingly, cocking her hip to the side.

Arceus realised he'd been caught and attempted to regain composure. "I was simply wondering what you could have possibly bought, you didn't strike me as the kind to go shopping for girly things."

Giratina smiled knowingly and showed him the bag. "I arrived early due to…certain pest problems…," Arceus decided not to question it, "and thought I'd do some shopping before I met you. I came across a new store that just opened and chose to look inside. I guess I started talking to the salesperson and lost track of time, sorry if I inconvenienced you."

"Not at all," Arceus reassured, not willing to admit that he'd thought he was being stood up even if she was only ten minutes late. "So, what did you buy?"

She tapped the side of her nose mysteriously. "You'll just have to wait and see." Then she turned and began to walk off.

Arceus, who had not been expecting her to leave him so suddenly, was startled and speedily hurried after her. "Wait, where are you going?"

She smiled back at him and linked her arm through his. "There's this darling little café by the lake that I think you'll just love."

She rested her head on his shoulder and Arceus found he didn't care where they were heading as long as he had her by his side. Together they felt like they were finally _in symmetry._

_To Be Continued…_

**(I'm turning this into a Three-shot or a story of three chapters.)**


	2. In Distortion

"Thanks for dinner Arceus, I had a great time."

Giratina and Arceus walked up the garden path to Giratina's house side by side. They stopped besides the front door, neither of them really wanting to say goodbye.

"It was nothing, besides I enjoyed myself as well." Arceus replied with a shrug.

Giratina smirked at him knowingly, "Even though that waiter wouldn't stop flirting with me."

Arecus took a deep breath, as if he was still seething from what had happened, "Even then." He forced a smile. "Besides, I'm too mature to let jealousy get the better of me."

"You tripped him up when he walked past." Giratina reminded humourlessly.

Arceus was surprised that she had noticed, he thought he had been subtle. "No I didn't, he fell. It's possible that my foot may have suddenly jerked out at the time but I honestly was not intending to trip the man." Giratina gave him a pointed look and he shifted uneasily. "Besides he was a clumsy man and would have fallen anyway with or without my assistance."

"So you admit you assisted him in his fall." Giratina snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I admitted nothing." Arceus countered.

"Yes you did." Giratina retorted stepping forward.

"No I didn't." Arceus replied, also taking a step forward so their chests were practically touching.

"Yes you d-" Arceus's lips cut Giratina off, kissing her softly before unwilling breaking away from her. Peaceful silence descended over them as they stared lovingly into one another's eyes. It was Giratina who spoke first. "Goodnight Arceus," She reached for the door handle behind her, "I really did enjoy myself," she turned the handle and stepped through the open doorway, never breaking eye contact, "even if you did try to put our waiter in the hospital." She grinned teasingly and closed the door in his face before he could utter a word of protest.

She leaned her back against the closed door, listening as the sound of his footsteps slowly died away, then she allowed herself to touch her lips where he had kissed her so gently, stealing her first kiss but not against her will. She smiled softly, however her joyful thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of her brothers standing before her.

"And what time do you call this?" Dialga demanded speaking with a grown-up voice.

She stared at him as if he had grown two heads, "Uh…eight."

"Exactly," Palkia remarked sternly, "You said you would be back by seven."

Giratina gave him a weird look. "No, I said I would be back by eight."

"Well we assumed you'd be back by seven," Dialga informed.

"Why would you assume that I'd be back by seven when I said I'd be back by eight?" Giratina enquired, raising one eyebrow.

"Because." Dialga answered.

"Because?" Palkia asked sounding puzzled.

"Yes because." Dialga replied.

"Because what?" Palkia questioned.

"Because I said so, that's what." Dialga retorted.

Giratina rolled her eyes and pushed past them, they were too distracted to notice.

"What's what?" Palkia inquired perplexed.

"That's what." Dialga explained in frustration.

Giratina walked up the stairs and entered her bedroom, shaking her head at her brothers' behaviour.

"What's that?" Palkia queried.

"That's that." Dialga clarified.

Palkia looked at Dialga in confusion. "What?"

Dialga, who was now equally bemused, returned the look. "What?"

"What were we talking about?" Palkia enquired.

Dialga was about to reply when they heard the sound of Giratina's bedroom door slamming shut. The two of them exchanged looks then they darted up the stairs, "GIRATINA!"

-888-

Giratina scowled at the scene before her. Arceus was pressed against a locker, smiling forcefully at the girls that surrounded him and desperately looking for a way to escape. She glared daggers as one of the girls took a step closer to him so that they were almost touching. Giratina felt her blood begin to boil and she furiously stormed down the corridor with her head held high, determined not to look in Arceus's direction just to prove how annoyed she was with him.

She was just passing the group of girls when she felt someone grab hold of her hand. She looked up at the hand's owner, ready to bite the head off whoever dared to touch her, but was startled to see Arceus's soft and very much relieved expression staring back at her. There was a cry of horror from the group of girls who had cornered Arceus as he smiled at her and Giratina felt all her previous anger disappear.

"Hey." He greeted in his usual tranquil tone that made her heart skip a beat. "We should probably be getting to class."

Giratina was too surprised to say anything so she simply nodded. As they walked away Giratina heard the girls whispering snide remarks to one another.

"Why is he with her?"

"He could do so much better."

"She's such a freak; even her brothers don't like her."

Giratina knew they were just jealous but it still stung to hear them say those things. What made it hurt even worse was because she knew it to be true. She was a freak and her brothers really didn't like her or at least they were too embarrassed of her to acknowledge her presence when they were in public. Although she and her brothers had started to get along much better than they used to, perhaps Arceus's good nature was starting to rub off on her. That was another thing though, Arceus was so kind and caring, those girls were right, he could do much better.

Arceus must have overheard what those girls had said or maybe she hadn't hidden her sadness well enough, because he squeezed her hand tightly and pulled her closer in a comforting manner. She looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes. She smiled weakly and squeezed his hand back. Whatever happened, at least she'd still have Arceus.

-888-

Giratina sat behind the counter of Sweet Dreams weaving a dream catcher alongside Cresselia. Ever since Giratina had first visited the store she had been returning to see Cresselia and sometimes help out with the work whenever she was free. Cresselia and her had quickly formed a close friendship and were practically best friends.

As it turned out Cresselia was the most popular and sought after girl at Sandman's Academy which Giratina found ironic since she was the social outcast of her school and most boys were too afraid to approach her. It seemed she had a knack of attracting those who were the complete opposite of her, first Arceus and now Cresselia. Of course it wasn't their popularity that appealed to Giratina; it was their personalities that she liked. They were both so kind and honest, they accepted Giratina despite her faults and that was what she needed most, to feel like she belonged.

"So what are these supposed to do again?" Giratina enquired as she threaded on some beads.

"They're supposed to catch dreams." Cresselia informed, attaching a few feathers to hers.

Giratina rolled her eyes. "I figured that out from the name, what I meant was do they just catch dreams because I don't know about you but I enjoy my dreams, they're my inspiration."

Cresselia smiled. "I'd like to see your dreams; they must be pretty incredible judging by your artwork."

"They are." Giratina whispered in a wondrous tone. She then blinked rapidly, snapping out of her daze. Cresselia giggled.

"Anyway," Cresselia continued, "These only catch nightmares so you'll never have to experience a bad dream."

Giratina looked doubtful. "Does it actually work?" She asked incredulously.

Cresselia smiled knowingly. "The ones made by me always do, my mother says I have a magic touch."

"Then I feel sorry for the poor chap who buys this one." Giratina remarked holding up her dream catcher. "I think my touch is more of a curse than a blessing."

Cresselia giggled. "Don't be so sure Gira; your artwork is certainly magical." Giratina smiled gratefully.

Suddenly the bell rang, signalling that someone else had entered the store. The two girls looked up curiously and Cresselia's eyes widened with horror.

"Speaking of nightmares!" She squeaked as she jumped from her chair and ducked under the desk.

Giratina stared at her friend curiously and was about to ask why she was acting so strangely when an eerie voice stopped her.

"Excuse me, is Cresselia Lunar present?"

She looked at the boy in front of her; from what she could tell he was almost entirely dressed in the colour black which clashed with the ghostly pale colour of his white skin and long flowing hair, the only item of clothing that wasn't black was the blood red scarf that was tied around his neck. He stared at her with emotionless icy blue eyes.

Giratina was about to ask which horror movie he had stepped out of when she realised he was the reason Cresselia was acting so strangely. She decided to have some fun.

"I'm sorry; Cresselia is currently too busy hiding under the desk to speak to you right now. Can I take a message?" She spoke in a polite and sophisticated manner, very unlike herself. She felt Cresselia punch her in the shin and she winced, "Ow!" She glared under the desk, "That hurt." Cresselia stuck her tongue out.

The boy peered over the desk, "Hey Cresselia." Cresselia looked up and saw that he had spotted her; she blushed and waved at him nervously, the boy remained unaffected. "You dropped this when you rushed out of school and I thought I should return it." He held out a black biro pen.

She stared at it in surprise then took it from him. "Oh! Thank you Darkrai."

Darkrai nodded then without a word walked out of the building. Giratina watched him leave, obviously disappointed nothing more exciting had happened. She turned back to her friend who was now pressing the pen to the place where her heart rested and blushing a shade of pink that was as bright as her fringe. Giratina could tell that Cresselia was squealing with joy on the inside from the squeaking sounds she kept making.

"So," Giratina began in a sly voice, "You like him," Cresselia continued to smile blissfully, "and I'm guessing he likes you if he went to all that trouble to return your pen."

Cresselia shook her head, clutching the pen closer, and grinning knowingly. "This isn't my pen."

It took a moment for Giratina to realise what that meant before reacting appropriately. Passers-by turned to look at the store in alarm as they heard the sounds of girlish squeals of delight echoing from it.

-888-

"I didn't know you also liked to sketch." Giratina exclaimed in surprised as she flipped through the notepad, stopping on a page with the picture of a mouse-like creature with a lightning bolt tail drawn on it, the heading read '_Pikachu_'.

"Well they're not really proper artwork, more like character designs." Arceus informed leaning against his desk and watching Giratina from where she sat in his swivel chair.

They were currently sat in Arceus's bedroom, and Giratina had decided that the best way to keep herself entertained was by going through Arceus's things despite his protests. Thankfully the first thing she discovered was his notebook which had so far kept her undivided attention.

Giratina smiled and turned the page, her eyes widened in recognition as she looked at the next sketch. "These characters look similar to the waitresses who work at The Lake Café, what are their names again, Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie?" She read the heading below, "Yeah, Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie the Lake Trio or the Lake Guardians?"

Arceus peered over her shoulder. "Those are what I like to call Legendaries; some of them are grouped together and given titles like the Lake Guardians."

"These designs are so original and cute." Giratina observed as she continued to look through the notepad, each page showing the image of an adorable creature. "Let's see, Shaymin, Jirachi, Mew," She turned the page again and her face fell. "Okay this one isn't very endearing."

"That's Heatran; he's more of a miscellaneous Legendary." Arceus informed.

Giratina frowned and turned to the next page, her eyes widening as her gaze fell upon the beautiful sketch of a luminous swan-like creature. She looked down at the name written below, "_Cresselia, the bringer of Sweet Dreams._" She regarded the sketch with surprise. "This is pretty impressive since you've only met her once."

Arceus shrugged, "Well you do talk about her a lot."

Giratina smiled. "So have you designed a character based on myself yet?"

Arceus blushed and shook his head. "I'm not sure how to…capture your…unique characteristics into one sketch. However I have designed characters based on Palkia and Dialga."

Giratina began to search for the pictures that were named after her brothers. She eventually found them; to her they seemed to resemble dinosaurs.

"_Palkia the Spatial Legendary, and Dialga the Temporal Legendary,_" She read looking at the descriptions, "So Lords of Time and Space then."

"I was trying to think of what built up the universe since I've put them as the second beings to be created." Arceus explained.

"So who's the first?" Giratina enquired.

Arceus looked a bit sheepish, "Arceus, the Alpha Being and Creator of the Universe."

Giratina gave him a sarcastic look. "You put yourself as Head of the Universe; well that's not egotistic whatsoever."

"Hey, I did sort of create this world anyway." Arceus exclaimed defensively.

"Okay, okay," Giratina turned the page, two creatures with red eyes stared back at her. The creatures looked pretty much the same except one of them had legs and wings similar to a bat's whilst the other had no legs and wings that resemble ghostly streamers with red spikes protruding from them. She examined the page in search of a name but she couldn't find one. "What's this one called?"

Arceus looked at the design. "That's the Renegade Legendary, Arceus's counterpart, I haven't thought of a name yet that suits it."

Giratina nodded still staring at the sketch curiously. For some reason she felt a sort of connection to the creature despite it only being a design. "If its Arceus's opposite do you think it should live in a world that is opposite to the one Arceus lives in?"

Arceus's eyes lit up with possibilities. "That's actually a really good idea; I mean Palkia and Dialga live in dimensions of Space and Time." He looked thoughtful, "But Arceus lives in the real world, what world could be opposite to that?"

Giratina had begun to sketch landscape features around the designs. Once she was satisfied she held the notepad up to Arceus for him to see, "How about the Distortion World?"

Arceus took the notepad from her and examined the picture. "This could work, but the Distortion World looks a lot like your Reverse World from your artwork."

Giratina nodded. "I figured I should change the name if you're going to use it."

Arceus smiled. "Thanks. Now if only you could help think of a name for these creatures then I really would owe you one."

Giratina cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Why? Can't you think up a good name yourself?"

Arceus shook his head. "I call them Pocket Monsters but that isn't very catchy."

"Hmm," Giratina tapped her chin thoughtfully, suddenly her eyes lit up and she smiled at Arceus. "How about Pokémon, you see it's a shortened version of Pocket Monsters."

"That's brilliant!" Arceus exclaimed noting down the name. "You really are a genius!"

"Glad someone's finally noticed." Giratina remarked standing up from where she was sitting, "However that's not my only good quality," she walked up behind Arceus, who was too busy jotting down information to notice, "Besides my genius and obvious creativity involving art," She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "I'm am also incredibly beautiful," Arceus froze and dropped his notepad along with the pen he had being using. Giratina smirked, "At least that's what they say."

Satisfied with his reaction she was about to retract her arms when she was stopped by Arceus turning around and firmly placing his hands on her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Giratina stared up at him and saw that his fringe shaded his eyes so they appeared darker than usual. Arceus leaned forward so his mouth was so close to her ear that she could feel his hot breath on her skin, leaving it tingling with pleasure.

"What they say is correct." Arceus whispered, pulling back so that their eyes met. He placed a hand on her cheek, brushing away a few loose strands of her dyed golden bangs. Giratina stared at him in awe and shock as he smiled at her softly, filling her with warmth. "You are beautiful."

And then the gap between them closed. Giratina wasn't exactly sure how she ended up against the wall with Arceus pressing against her but she wasn't complaining either. Her fingers snaked through his soft hair, enjoying the feel of its silkiness against her skin. His hands roamed over the curves of her body; clutching her to him as if afraid she might disappear at any moment. Their lips collided with great force, both of them desperately craving the taste of the other. Their tongues clashed in a constant battle for dominance.

The heated moment was put on pause for a second as they parted from one another, gasping for air. Curse their bodies and its need for oxygen. The two of them panted as the burning flames of passion and desire beginning to die down. They glanced at one another and smiled softly.

Then Arceus uttered the words that made Giratina's eyes widen in alarm and her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"I love you."

-888-

"Giratina! Wait!" Arceus cried in frustration as he raced down the path leading from his house.

Giratina stormed down the street, refusing to stop or look back. Arceus chased after her, running in front so that he blocked her way. Giratina scowled and tried to walk past him but he grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around so she was facing him.

"Why are you running?" Arceus asked angrily, "All I did was say that I love you."

"Exactly." Giratina stated, her cold poker face returning. It had been a while since Arceus had seen her emotionless expression and he didn't like it.

"I thought you would be happy, why are you so upset?" Arceus enquired, he covered how hurt he was at her rejection with anger.

"Because." Giratina replied.

Arceus frowned, "That's not an answer."

"Why does it matter to you?" Giratina exclaimed in annoyance.

"Because I love you." Arceus replied sounding exasperated.

Giratina yanked her arm free of his grip. "That's just it, you can't love me, we've only being seeing each other for a few weeks. People don't fall in love just like that."

"Is that why you're so upset because you don't think I actually love you?" Arceus asked obviously irritated.

"It's impossible," Giratina remarked, "Love doesn't exist. You can't feel something that doesn't exist."

Arceus stated at her in disbelief. "Of course love exists, why would you think differently?"

"My parents." Giratina spat.

For a moment a look of sympathy flittered across Arceus's angry expression. "Giratina, whatever happened between them doesn't mean love doesn't exist." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she flinched but didn't resist. He took this as a good sign. "In love you either fall together or you fall apart, but whatever happens I want to be with you Giratina, I've never felt this way before." Their eyes met and Arceus saw the tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Please Giratina, I love y-"

"No!" Giratina screamed, tearing her eyes away from his and shrugging of his hand. She darted past him then turned around. "You don't love me, it's not possible! Stop trying to tell me otherwise!"

"Giratina," Arceus tried but she wouldn't let him.

"No! I don't want to listen to you anymore!" She yelled, fiery anger burned in her eyes but not the one Arceus was accustomed too. This fire was of a destructive nature not a passionate one. "Just because you're so perfect, just because everyone loves you doesn't mean you can mock the unloved by giving them false hope!"

Arceus was enraged. How dare she accuse him of such things! "Unloved? The only reason you're so 'unloved' is because you shove everyone who tries to love you away!"

"Shut up!" Giratina screeched, "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know enough," Arceus countered, "You believe yourself unworthy of love so you won't let anyone come close to you!" Giratina was crying now, tears were flowing from her eyes and she couldn't stop them. Arceus felt sorry for her as he saw how pitying she looked, but he was too angry to halt his speech. "You act tough, put on a false charade so everyone will be too afraid to approach you, and they'll all think you don't care, that's why you're an outcast."

"Shut up." Giratina whimpered.

However Arceus continued. "But truthfully you're just scared,"

"Quiet." Giratina pleaded.

"and broken." Arceus finished giving her a sympathetic look.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was Giratina's muffled sniffles as she desperately tried to stop the tears from falling.

"Giratina," Arceus began, approaching her, he reached out a hand.

"No!" Giratina cried, slapping his hand away and locking her eyes on his. Arceus retracted his hand in shock, feeling his heart freeze as he gazed into her cold lifeless eyes. "J…just…just leave me ALONE!" She stuttered, "Please…just leave me alone."

Arceus took in how weak and fragile she looked; as if at any moment she might crumple before his very eyes.

Her strong façade? Gone. Her heart? Broken. And her burning fire? Dowsed from the tears.

Arceus could only nod, feeling his own heart break. "Okay." He whispered hollowly.

He unlocked his eyes from hers and gazed at the ground, listening to her running footsteps fade away from him as she ran out of his life. Once he was sure she was gone, he let out a cry of anger and punched the brick wall next to him. It hurt but not as much as the heartbreak did.

-888-

Fire. It flickered and danced in a taunting manner as the white pages crumbled into crisped black ash before disappearing into the flames. Giratina watched the pattern repeat as she tossed more and more pages of her sketchbook into the fire. She no longer cared about her artwork, it reminded her too much of him.

The fire was the only light in the entire house; it was starting to get late and the curtains were drawn causing the room to become concealed in shadows. Giratina had come home to find the house empty and proceeded to use this as an opportunity to dwell in her misery in peace.

The light of the fire illuminated the tears that trickled from her eyes and over her face before dropping onto the floor below. She ripped another couple of pages out of her sketchbook and tossed them onto the fire, watching as they were consumed by the blazing light. She didn't notice one loose page flutter away and land out of sight underneath the sofa.

She poured out another glass of alcohol and downed the whole thing in one. It burned in her throat similar to how the flames burned her drawings, but she didn't care. She was too focused on her sorrows to mind the bitter taste. She had hoped that the alcohol would numb the pain but so far all it had succeeded in doing was giving her a headache

She pulled out her mobile and began to skim through the contacts. She paused absentmindedly on Arceus's name and debated pressing the call button. She stared at the screen for a long while, the watery drops that dripped onto it blurred the screen and she breathed a sigh, her thumb pressed down hard on the button.

'_Contact Deleted'_

She read the pixelated text then continued to scroll down until her eyes fell upon the name she was looking for. She pressed the call button.

'_Dialling Cresselia_'

Giratina waited, listening as the phone rang.

"_Hello?_" Came the reply as Cresselia answered the phone.

"Cresselia." Giratina whispered in relief, her voice cracking.

"_Giratina?_" Cresselia's voice sounded concerned, "_Are you alright, you don't sound like yourself._"

"It's…him." She couldn't bring herself to say his name.

"_Who? Arceus?_" Giratina cringed at the mention of that name.

"Yes" Giratina whimpered.

Instantly Cresselia was on alert. "_What happened?_"

"He said he loved me." Giratina replied feeling a pang in her heart. Saying it made her feel the pain all over again.

Cresselia squealed with glee but stopped when she noticed her friend wasn't squealing along with her. "_Wait that's good isn't it?_"

Giratina wiped a tear from her eye; however they still continued to fall. "No…I couldn't say it back…it's over."

There was a long pause as Cresselia took all this in and thought of what to say next. "_Oh Giratina I'm so sorry._"

"Don't be, it's my fault." Giratina feebly smiled a weak and self-pitying smile. "Sorry if I upset you, I just needed to tell someone."

"_It's okay and if you ever need me I'm always here for you._" Cresselia informed supportively.

Giratina just nodded despite Cresselia not being able to see and poured herself another glass. "I know." She drank the liquid and the room began to spin. "Listen I have to go, but I'll talk to you again soon."

"_If you say so,_" Cresselia sounded hesitant, "_Remember if you ever need a friend-_"

"I know and thanks. Goodbye Cresselia." Giratina pressed the end call button cutting Cresselia off from saying anything else. She placed the phone on the ground and fixed her vision on the fire once again. She threw the last of her sketchbook into the fire and watched it burn, all her hard work going up in smoke, it made her feel empty. Well, emptier. She downed another glass and watched as the fire became misshapen, swirling into a fiery ball that snaked around and around and around in her mind.

She fell back, the dizziness overwhelming her. Her head pounded and she watched as the room spun out of control. The shapes warped and she grinned bitterly at the irony. Her relationship with Arceus and now her world was twisted _in distortion__**.**_

_To Be Continued…_

**(Ohh, cliff-hanger...sort of.)**

**Well this update was earlier than I was planning but I probably won't get the third or final chapter up till this weekend or later so it balances out, it's by far the longest out of the three.**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed I really appreciated it, and I'm putting this up early for you guys but if there are any spelling mistakes sorry. Thanks again = )**

**- Persephatta**


	3. In Reverse

She could hear them muttering as she walked by. They pretended that they weren't looking but she could see them staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Some shot her looks of pity whilst others watched her with hardened eyes, and mocking stares. They spoke in hushed voices but to her their whispers were like shouts, roaring in her ears and taunting her with every word.

"Isn't that the girl who dated Arceus?"

"I can't believe she dumped him."

"Who does she think she is?"

"She thinks she's too good to be with him just like she thinks she's too good for us."

"What type of idiot would break up with Arceus?"

"I bet he broke up with her, I mean why would someone like him waste his time on someone like her."

"He deserves so much better than her."

Every word they said was like a blow to the heart, reminding her that it was over because of her. She felt sick and wanted nothing more than to run to the Girls' Bathrooms where she could cry without anyone seeing. However she knew she had to remain strong, she couldn't let what they said knock her down. She wished she could just curl up in hole and stay there until the pain went away and the students of Origin found a new topic to gossip about.

"At least now that Arceus is done with her he will finally realise that I'm his destiny."

Giratina glared at the floor as she walked past the gaggle of gossiping and giggling girls. Despite her telling Arceus to leave her alone, she couldn't help but feel her stomach twist with jealousy every time one of the airheaded girls suggested the idea of Arceus and them being soul mates.

"No way, Arceus and I are meant to be."

The girls began to squabble over who was best suited for Arceus and Giratina rolled her eyes at their immature behaviour.

"Oh look, there he is!" One of the girls suddenly squealed causing all the girls' heads to turn in the direction she was pointing.

Giratina curiously raised her eyes and instantly regretted it as her gaze met a hardened pair of chartreuse green eyes. Arceus kept his face blank of emotion and Giratina did the same. They lowered their eyes, refusing to make eye contact, and walked past one another without saying a word or showing any signs of recognition.

As soon as she was past him and safely away she finally let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She refused to acknowledge the way her heart had fluttered when she saw his face and supressed all the joyous emotions she was feeling. She couldn't fall in love, she shouldn't, and she wouldn't let herself.

She stopped walking and slumped against the wall wearily. Thank goodness this weekend marked the start of a week's holiday. She desperately needed to get away from this place and it's drama along with the painful anguish it filled her with. Her thoughts were so distorted and she hated it. But at least she had nothing else to worry about, what else could possibly go wrong?

The school speakers suddenly came to life, the school's secretary's voice could be heard. "Could Miss Giratina Creation please come to the Head's office? That's a request for Miss Giratina Creation to come to the Head's office please."

A few passing students turned to stare at her, wondering what she had done this time. She was wondering the same thing, for once she didn't believe she had done anything wrong. Ever since she had started spending time with Arceus she no longer felt the need to cause trouble and now that they were over she had lost the will to do pretty much anything and was too depressed to bother.

She groaned and pushed herself away from the comfort of the wall. She might as well find out what she had unknowingly done and get it over with. At least detention was a way of escaping the accusing stares and prying whispers of her fellow peers. She trudged through the corridors in the direction of the Head teacher's office and her impending doom.

-888-

"You want me to do what?" Giratina exclaimed still trying to comprehend what she was being asked.

The Head stared at her calmly. "I want you to design and paint a mural for the school."

Giratina stared at him in shock. "But…why?"

"Because I believe the school needs to be brightened up and an inspirational mural on one of the school's walls is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for?"

"No not that, why did you pick me?" Giratina asked confused as to why someone with such a bad reputation as her would be selected for such an important task.

"I spoke with the Head of the Art Department and she suggested you, have I made the right choice?" He enquired observing her with questioning eyes.

Giratina's thoughts raced as she pondered her answer. She shook her head vicariously. "No…I'm not the right choice…you should ask somebody else, I…I no longer care for art." She stood up from where she was sitting despite not being excused. "I'm…I'm sorry."

She saw his disappointed expression and felt bad for refusing but she knew she couldn't create an inspirational masterpiece, not when she was feeling so uninspired.

"Well," The Head began hesitantly, "It's your choice, but do tell me if you change your mind, I have seen your work and it is very spectacular. It would be wonderful if someone with such a passion for art like yourself could brighten this school with your art, but like I said it's your choice and I won't force you."

Giratina mumbled her thanks and left the room, without any intention of changing her mind. She just couldn't do it, not now when she felt so…so…unsymmetrical.

-888-

"What do you mean you said no?" Palkia cried after Giratina explained the reason she had been called to the Head's office.

"I mean, I refused to design and paint the mural." Giratina replied in frustration, it had been a long day and all she wanted to do was curl up beneath the covers on her bed whilst listening to some depressed singer whine about heartbreak to some sad music whilst singing even sadder and sappier lyrics.

"How could you refuse an opportunity like this?" Dialga exclaimed. "All you've ever wanted is to show the world your artwork, now you have the chance and you're not taking it?"

"That was then this is now." She spoke in a disheartening voice. "Now all I want is to stay in my room for the rest of my life…or at least until I'm twenty-one."

"You can't hide from your problems Gira." Dialga stated firmly.

"Nope," She replied with a smile which they all knew to be false, "But I sure can try."

She headed to the door, grabbing her jacket on the way out. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get any peace at home so she decided to go to the next best place.

"Wait, where are you going?" Palkia enquired as she opened the front door.

"Out." Giratina informed unhelpfully before slamming the door shut behind her.

The two boys stared at the door for a while.

Palkia sighed. "Well that went well."

"She's really upset." Dialga remarked sadly.

"I'm still getting over the fact that she destroyed all her artwork." Palkia commented gloomily.

The two of them walked over to the sofa and plonked themselves on it.

"I say we watch TV, it should take our minds of Giratina, at least for a little while." Palkia suggested.

Dialga nodded and began to search for the remote. When he couldn't find it he turned to Palkia. "Um…Palkia, where's the remote?"

Palkia shrugged and reached down under the sofa. "Maybe it's under here." He began to feel around for the remote when his hand landed on something that felt like paper. "What's this?" He grabbed hold of the sheet and pulled it out.

The two of them stared at the piece of paper, recognising the image that was drawn on it. They exchanged glances.

"This is from Giratina's sketchbook." Dialga observed in surprise. "It must have escaped the fire."

Palkia's eyes lit up with an idea. "Maybe this will re-inspire Giratina. We should take it to her."

Dialga nodded, but then his face fell. "But we don't even know where Giratina is."

Palkia smiled knowingly. "There's only one place she could be."

-888-

"The Cemetery?"

Dialga gave his brother a 'you're-an-idiot' look and pondered his sanity.

Palkia shrugged. "Hey she's freaky and morbid like that, you never know."

Dialga shook his head. "She's not here Palkia."

"How do you know?" Palkia retorted, not liking to be proved wrong.

Dialga was about to reply when they were interrupted by a shout.

"Hey! You kids!" They looked up to see a man holding a rake racing towards them.

"It's the gardener." Dialga observed nervously backing away.

"And he doesn't look too happy." Palkia noticed. They exchanged worried looks.

"Run!" Dialga ordered before they dashed through the graveyard gates and away from the cemetery.

"Okay, so Giratina wasn't there." Palkia admitted. "But where else could she be?"

-888-

"Ice cream and chocolate, the best way to mend a broken heart." Cresselia informed placing a tub of chocolate ice cream down on the desk and handing Giratina a spoon. They dug into the frozen treat.

"Well it beats drowning your sorrows with alcohol, that's for sure." Giratina commented licking her spoon. "I swear I still have a hangover."

"Well you did drink like…five bottles of wine." Cresselia recalled, scooping her spoon into the brown desert.

"Six." Giratina corrected, putting another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

Cresselia stared at her friend with wide eyes. "Wow, you really were depressed."

"No kidding." Giratina muttered, not liking where the topic of conversation was heading.

"So…" There was a pause as Cresselia tried to think of the right way to word her next question. "Why are you so against Arceus being in love with you?"

Giratina froze; yep, she definitely didn't like where this conversation was heading, but if she couldn't even confess her troubles to her best friend who could she?

"My parents." Giratina said, repeating what she had previously told Arceus.

Cresselia was curious now. "Your parents? You never mention them."

Giratina shrugged, "I barely know them. I have no idea where my dad is and my mum is always out. My brothers and I pretty much raised ourselves."

Cresselia looked at her with pitying eyes. "What happened between them?"

Giratina looked down, a sad glimmer appearing in her eyes. "I happened."

Cresselia was shocked. "What!"

Giratina smiled falsely. "My father never liked me; I think it was because he never wanted a daughter. That was when the troubles started. My dad would go out and not come back for days, and when he did he would just collapse on the couch. However that wasn't a bad thing because when he was awake he would be yelling and ranting. He and my mum used to argue a lot, about money, about us, about anything really. It wasn't long before they parted. That's why I don't believe in love."

Cresselia's mouth began to open and close like a goldfish, trying to think of what to say. "But…but just because your parents had problems doesn't mean love doesn't exist."

"Maybe so," Giratina replied, "But it doesn't exist for me. I don't do love because…all I do is cause pain." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "It was my fault that my parents split up, my fault Palkia and Dialga don't have parents to rely on. I push everyone away because I know…" She sniffled, "I know…I know that all I'll do is hurt them."

Cresselia gaped at her friend. Was this really the reason that she made herself an outcast, because she blamed herself for what happened between her parents. "Giratina…that's…that's…"

"Stupid." A voice commented.

The girls looked up in surprise to see none other than Darkrai leaning against a shelf staring at them with his piercing eyes. How had he managed to get in without them noticing? And how long had he been there?

"Hey…I…" Giratina began, getting defensive.

"You push people away because you think what happened between your parents is your fault." Darkrai summed up in his usual deadpanned voice. "In other words, you're afraid to hurt others so you hurt yourself." Giratina blinked, she had never put it like that before. "You want people to be happy, and you think they'd be better off without you, and yet Cresselia is happy as your friend," Cresselia nodded in agreement, "and you are happy as her friend. So if you can allow yourself to be friends with Cresselia why can't you allow yourself to be in love with Arceus?" As much as Giratina hated to admit it, he had a point. "You already know he loves you and it's blatantly obvious that you love him," Giratina tried to protest but for some reason she couldn't find the words, "So why not let yourself be happy for once and stop living in the past."

'_Stop living in the past' _Giratina mused in her head, Darkrai was right, maybe it was time she allowed herself some happiness. "May…be…mayb-" She began only to be cut off by the shop door suddenly slamming open, the tinkling bell rung like mad.

All eyes turned to see Palkia and Dialga standing in the doorway, panting heavily as if they had just run a marathon.

Palkia looked up and met Giratina's wide-eyed stare, "Giratina!" He exclaimed happily, his gaze travelled to Cresselia, "Cresselia!" his eyes then drifted to Darkrai. Palkia's face paled and he jumped into Dialga's arms, "Ahh! It's a demon ghost! Please don't kill me!"

Darkrai showed no emotion, Cresselia stared at Palkia in alarm whilst Giratina rolled her eyes as did Dialga who instantly dropped Palkia.

"Ow!" Palkia whined as he found himself on the floor, he then noticed the tub of ice cream, "ICE CREAM!" He made a mad dash for the tub, snatching Giratina's spoon in the process and beginning to eat.

The remaining four watched him, concerned for his sanity. It was Giratina who broke the awkward silence.

"What are you guys doing here?" She demanded, glaring at Dialga.

"We came do give you this." He replied, handing Giratina the sketch. She took it and examined the image, her eyes widened when she realised what it was. "We hoped it might…re-inspire you."

Giratina stared at the piece of paper, as if she had seen a ghost. The design was split into four sections, opposite each other was a drawing of her Reverse World and The Real World, the other two squares represented the dimensions of Time and Space.

"W…where did you get this?" She enquired sharply.

"It was under the sofa." Dialga informed. "It must have ended up under there without you noticing when you tore up your sketchbook."

Giratina hands shook as she stared at the image. Darkrai appeared behind her and viewed the picture.

"It's like a beautiful nightmare." Darkrai observed, startling Giratina who had not seen him move behind her.

"That's Darkrai's way of saying its good." Cresselia informed.

Giratina sighed and walked out from behind the desk. She held the picture firmly, her fingers scrunching the paper and yet she was careful not to crumple it.

"I'm going home." Giratina informed heading for the door.

Palkia looked up from the ice cream. "What, but we just got here. Do you know how long it took us to find you!"

"We would have been here sooner if Palkia hadn't taken us to a cemetery." Dialga remarked glaring at his brother.

"Why would you go to a cemetery?" Cresselia enquired, giving them a perplexed look.

"We were looking for Giratina." Palkia replied as if it was obvious. They stared at him weirdly. "What? She's morbid like that."

Giratina rolled her eyes. "Not that this pep talk isn't filling me with confidence but I think I'll be leaving now."

"Wait! Giratina don't go." Cresselia begged, looking at her friend with pleading eyes.

"Sorry Cress but I think it's best if I go. I'll see you again soon." She waved to a crestfallen Cresselia and exited the store, Dialga followed closely behind.

Palkia looked up from the tub of ice cream then chased after them, a few moments later he dashed back into the store and grabbed the tub of ice cream before running back out again. Cresselia and Darkrai exchanged looks.

Cresselia sighed forlornly. "I hope she'll be okay."

"She will be." Darkrai reassured. "A true artist never loses their passion."

Cresselia could only hope that he was right.

-888-

Giratina cringed as she listened to the sad song play; the depressing music certainly wasn't helping her mood. She pushed herself off her soft bed and strolled over to her desk where she'd placed the remaining sketch. For some reason she didn't have the heart to destroy it, not after she had lost so much already. She was beginning to regret burning her sketchbook and wished she still had the images, if only to look at and remember the better times.

She suddenly felt a strong need for comfort and since her brothers were terrible when it came to consoling others she went in search for something else that could provide the warmth that she needed.

She kneeled besides her bed and peered underneath it, stretching out a hand to find what she was looking for. After finding a large amount of junk she didn't even know she had her hand finally landed on the object she was looking for. Grabbing hold of the item she pulled it out and hugged it to her chest before gazing at it with childish wonder. A tatty well-worn teddy stared back at her, its beady eyes shimmered in the light, and she felt herself fill with joy.

Her eyes then drifted from her favourite childhood toy to the paper bag on the floor besides her. She recognised the Sweet Dreams logo and realised it was the bag containing what she had bought on the day she had her first date with Arceus.

A wave of sorrow washed over her as she recalled the memory but she managed supressed it. Reaching into the bag she took hold of the chain which was attached to the Jewel of Life and pulled it out. It was even more beautiful than she remembered.

She stood up, tossing the forgotten teddy onto her bed and staring at the orb as if hypnotised by its glittering glow. She suddenly snapped out of the trance as she realised how similar its chartreuse colour was to Arceus's eyes.

She felt her stomach turn; she didn't need any reminders of Arceus. She raised her arm, ready to toss the jewel into the bin when it suddenly caught the light. The orb shimmered with life and Giratina eyes widened, a twinkle appearing in them as she was hit by sudden inspiration.

Her eyes glanced between the jewel and the sketch that rested on her desk. Subconsciously she walked over to the table and placed the jewel in the centre of the drawing. Her eyes lit up and for the first time in a while she truly smiled.

-888-

"I accept."

The Head looked up at Giratina in bemusement. "What?"

"I'll design and paint the mural." Giratina explained, grinning determinedly.

The Head's expression morphed from shock to confusion before he finally broke out into a huge grin.

-888-

The holidays had finally come and the school had been deserted by all except one. Giratina had been given the next nine days of the holiday to complete the mural in time for it to be revealed on the last day. The Head had trusted her with the key to the school so she could enter without having to be let in by a member of staff. She had already located the wall and begun her work however it proved a tougher task than originally thought.

Day 1

Giratina managed to paint the entire wall white although this also meant she had to wait until the next day for the paint to dry.

Day 2

The white paint had dried and Giratina had begun to sketch the basic outline of her picture. However due to the large size of the wall she didn't manage to finish the sketch before it was time for her to leave.

Day 3

Giratina let out a sigh of mixed relief and exasperation as she examined her work so far. The wall was now entirely white with the basic outline of her design already drawn on. The only problem was she had already lost two days and a quarter of the third; she was starting to get worried about painting the mural in detail. There was no way she would be able to do it in time, especially if she had to waste precious time on waiting for the paint to dry.

"I'm going to need some help." Giratina said voicing her thoughts.

"Well then lucky for you we're here to help."

Giratina turned around in surprise to see Palkia, Dialga, Cresselia…and Darkrai! The four of them were dressed in old clothing and holding paintbrushes. They were all smiling at her minus Darkrai who never smiled.

"What are you guys doing here?" Giratina exclaimed confused as to why they were there.

"We're here to help you, duh." Cresselia explained jokily waving her paintbrush.

"Just tell us where to paint and we'll do so." Dialga informed with a smile.

Giratina was taken aback. "You guys are going to help me, but what about your holiday? Cresselia don't you have the store to watch."

Cresselia shrugged, "My parents can watch it for a while. Besides I'd rather spend my holiday helping out a friend anyway.

Giratina turned to her brothers, "Dialga and Palkia?"

"Hey, you're our sister; we couldn't exactly let you down." Dialga replied and Palkia nodded in agreement.

"Family is family." Palkia remarked.

Giratina smiled and she suddenly felt very sentimental. Her brothers used to avoid being seen with her and now they were willing to sacrifice their holiday to spend it helping her, maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"Besides, we had nothing better to day." Palkia confessed.

Giratina rolled her eyes. Well almost not so bad.

She turned to Darkrai, still trying to work out why he had come along, "Darkrai?"

"Cresselia forced me to come." Darkrai answered, expressionless. Cresselia slapped his arm in annoyance, Darkrai just shrugged. "She deserved the truth."

Giratina smiled sarcastically. "Well as long as you're here, the plan is over there," She pointed to one of the outside tables where a piece of paper rested along with the buckets of paint, "So start painting."

Palkia cheered and raced over to the paint. The others followed.

By the end of the day they had managed to complete a lot more of the mural than she could have done alone. Sure it wasn't anywhere near finished but they still had six days left. Giratina smiled to herself as they left the school, things were starting to look up.

Day 4

"AAH! I've got paint in my hair!"

"Chill out Palkia, it will wash out." Dialga reassured his overdramatic brother who was staring in horror at his once pearl white hair which was now streaked purple.

"Actually, I think it looks good on you." Cresselia remarked observing Palkia's hair.

Palkia looked at her in surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah, purple really suits you." Cresselia informed with a wink before dashing off to help Giratina.

Palkia blushed, his ruby eyes going starry. Dialga watched his brother and rolled his eyes, this wasn't the first time Palkia had gone gaga over a pretty girl and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"It's official," Palkia stated confidentally, "I'm dyeing my hair purple."

Day 5

"Dialga what are you doing?" Giratina enquired as she watched her brother place a stereo on the equipment bench.

Dialga continued to fiddle with some of the dials, sound suddenly blared from the speakers. The others looked up at the unexpected noise.

"I figured we could listen to the radio as we worked." Dialga informed, noticing their questioning stares, "You know, to help the time go by."

Giratina grinned, "That's actually a good idea." She then glanced over at her other brother and smirked. "Palkia definitely thinks so."

Dialga looked to see Palkia dancing to the music extremely badly. They exchanged evil glances then brought out their phones and pressed the record button. The whole school would have to see this.

Day 6

"Be careful using the ladder Cresselia." Giratina called to her friend anxiously.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Cresselia reassured.

Despite still being uncertain Giratina walked away, leaving her friend to get on with her work in peace.

At that moment the song playing from the radio changed.

"_Have you ever seen such a beautiful night? I could almost kiss the stars for shining so bright"_

"Oh my gosh! I love this song!" Cresselia exclaimed happily, suddenly she lost her balance and toppled off the ladder. Cresselia let out a scream as she tumbled through the air. Giratina and Dialga watched, frozen in horror.

"_When I see you smile and I go oh, oh, oh"_

"Cresselia! NO!" Palkia cried leaping forward with outstretched arms, ready to catch her.

Cresselia squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. It never came. Instead she found herself being held in someone's arms. Cresselia nervously took a peek and saw Darkrai's blank eyes staring back at her. Her eyes widened in surprise. Palkia crashed to the floor at Darkrai's feet but neither of them noticed.

"_I would never want to miss this, cause in my heart I know what this is"_

"Darkrai?" Cresselia asked uncertainly.

"Cresselia," Darkrai deadpanned, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"_Hey now hey now, this is what dreams are made of"_

"Good." Darkrai replied emotionlessly before calmly dropping her onto Palkia's fallen form and walking away.

Cresselia let out a tiny squeal as she fell onto Palkia, who groaned in pain as her weight hit him. She blinked rapidly as she tried to comprehend what had happened, and then her face went red however this time it wasn't from embarrassment.

"You jerk! Come back here!" She yelled angrily, chasing after the Darkrai who continued to walk away calmly.

"_Hey now hey now, this is what dreams are made of"_

Dialga helped a confused Palkia to his feet and Giratina laughed as she watched the scene before her unfold. The lyrics of the song suddenly caught her ear.

"_I've got somewhere I belong"_

She stared at the people before her and realised that these were her friends, the people who she belonged with.

"_I've got somebody to love"_

One name came to mind, Arceus.

She had finally admitted it to herself; she was in love with Arceus.

"_This is what dreams are made of"_

Day 7

_Splat!_

Giratina's eyes widened as she felt the gooey cold substance hit her. She felt the back of her head and examined the liquid that now covered her hand. It was red.

She snarled and turned on Palkia who was currently having a laughing fit.

"You should have seen your face!" Palkia exclaimed in-between laughs.

Giratina glared, then a smirk formed on her face as a wicked thought entered her mind. She reached into the paint bucket besides her and pulled out a blob of blue paint, unnoticed by Palkia who was still laughing his head off. She aimed her arm then fired.

_Smack!_

Palkia stared in shock as he found his face covered in blue paint. His eyes narrowed and he threw a handful of green at Giratina's head. She ducked and it hit the side of Dialga's face.

Dialga turned to look at Palkia's sheepish expression. He picked up a paint covered paintbrush and fired. Yellow paint splattered all over Palkia, merging with the blue so he was now looking a bit green. Dialga and Giratina laughed.

Palkia scowled. "This means WAR!" He was about to fire a load of paint when a voice stopped him.

"Wait!" They turned to see Cresselia, "The mural."

Their eyes widened in alarm and they shuffled away from the uncompleted mural to the playground where they could continue with their paint fight without ruining the painting they had been working on for so long.

"Okay, we're away from the mural, now what?" Dialga question, he was answered by a paint blob hitting him in the face. He looked over at the thrower and was surprised to see Cresselia giving him an innocent smile. "Oh it's on now."

He chucked a load of paint at Cresselia; she shrieked and ran for cover only to be hit by a load of paint thrown by Darkrai. She turned to glare at him and for once he showed some emotion by smirking back. Palkia hit him with some pink paint and Darkrai's face went completely blank. Giratina then tossed more blue paint at Palkia who was turning into a Smurf. Girtaina giggled but the smile was wiped from her face when Dialga splattered her with green paint.

By the end of the day they all looked like a walking rainbow, but none of them minded, it had been a good day filled with laughter and paint. Giratina grinned as they exited the school gates, gaining many stares from passers-by. Who cared what other people thought, she'd had fun with her friends and that's what mattered.

Day 8

"_And moving onto our next request" _The DJs voice blasted from the radio, _"This is from Cresselia,"_

All heads turned to stare at Cresselia questioningly; she smiled shyly back at their surprised faces.

"_Cresselia would like to request this song to Darkrai, so let's play it."_

Darkrai eyes widened by a millimetre and a microscopic blush appeared on his cheeks. The music started to play, and Cresselia's cheeks reddened.

"_Turn the lights on!"_

"_Every night I rush to my bed, with hopes that maybe I'll get a chance to see you when I close my eyes"_

Cresselia and Darkrai locked eyes, both of them refusing to look away.

"_I'm going outta my head, lost in a fairytale, can you hold my hands and be my guide?"_

"How come girls never dedicate songs to me?" Palkia muttered only to be elbowed in the ribs by both Dialga and Giratina who shushed him.

"_Clouds filled with stars cover your skies and I hope it rains you're the perfect lullaby. What kind of dream is this?"_

Darkrai unexpectedly offered Cresselia his hand and she took it.

"_You can be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare. Either way I don't wanna wake up from you. Turn the lights on!"_

They then began to dance in a similar fashion to how you would in a ballroom, needless to say it did not fit in with the rhythm of the song but neither of them seemed to care.

"_Sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare, somebody pinch me, your love's too good to be true. Turn the lights on!"_

The Creation siblings watched the couple dance around with confused and unnerved expressions.

Dialga shook his head mournfully, "Concerning, truly concerning."

"Why are they waltzing?" Palkia inquired looking puzzled.

"_My guilty pleasure I ain't going nowhere Baby, long as you're here, I'll be floating on air cause you're my, you're my..."_

Giratina observed her best friend's smiling face as she danced with the boy she had a crush on for so long.

"I think it's supposed to be romantic." Giratina explained uncertainly.

"No romantic is sending a girl a boutique of flowers," Palkia commented, "This is just plain weird."

"_You can be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare, either way I; don't wanna wake up from you."_

Darkrai spun Cresselia around and dipped her.

Dialga sighed, "And two more poor souls are claimed by the madness of the paint fumes."

Day 9

"It's FINISHED! It's finally finished!" Palkia shouted with joy as the five of them stepped back from the wall and examined the outcome of their work.

"I have to admit," Dialga began, "It really does look very inspirational."

"It's beautiful." Cresselia observed with a smile.

"It makes me feel warm inside." Darkrai deadpanned. The others gave him a weird look which he returned with one of his emotionless stares.

"Anyway…" Palkia began, "What do you think Giratina? After all it was your design."

They looked at Giratina who was staring at the wall with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Something's missing." She finally informed, the others looked alarmed.

"What!" Palkia cried, "How can something be missing, we followed the design perfectly."

Dialga examined the piece of paper with the design on it. "He's right; I can't see what's wrong."

"Gira?" Cresselia questioned giving her friend an uncertain look.

Giratina ignored them, her eyes glazing over. Absentmindedly she picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in a pot of black paint. She pressed the paintbrush to the bottom of the wall and proceeded to draw lines that curved around forming shapes. When she finally stepped away from the wall, she looked at it with satisfaction, breaking from her trance.

"Now it's perfect." She remarked stepping away from the wall.

The others viewed the wall and they had to agree. The mural was now complete.

"So…does anyone want to go to Miltank's Milkshakes to celebrate?" Palkia suggested.

They all nodded, tidying up the area before they exited the school chatting and laughing. No one saw the shadowed figure, watching them from afar.

"Congratulations Giratina." Arceus whispered before disappearing down the street.

Day 10

The day of the unveiling had arrived.

-888-

"Hello Arceus, haven't seen you around for a while, why the long face?"

Arceus looked up from his notepad to see Mesprit's curious and concerned expression. He was sat in the Lake Café jotting down some ideas for his '_Pokémon_' designs; he still hadn't come up with a name for the creature Giratina had asked about.

Arceus sighed, feeling the need to confess his feelings to someone. "Hello Mesprit, I guess I haven't had a reason to visit."

Mesprit gasped dramatically, "You mean our delicious cakes are good enough for you!" She then giggled to show she was teasing. A thought struck her and she looked around. "Where's Giratina, she's usually with you, is she alright?"

"She's doing okay." Arceus informed. From what he had seen of her she seemed to be alright but it was hard to tell when she was so good at putting on a poker face. "We're not together anymore."

Mesprit gasped in alarm. "What! But you guys made such a good couple! You were in love, it was so obvious."

Arceus winced; ever since Giratina had broken up with him love was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "It wasn't obvious to her."

Mesprit sat down in the chair opposite him, regarding him sadly. "How do you feel about it being over?"

Arceus shrugged, he tried not to think about it and he didn't want to talk about it either however Mesprit seemed to understand emotions better than anyone he knew, if anyone could help him understand what he was feeling and what to do about it Mesprit was that person.

"I guess…I'm heartbroken." Arceus confessed. "I loved her but she didn't love me…she couldn't."

Mesprit raised an eyebrow. "She couldn't"

"She didn't want to be in love, she didn't want to get hurt…something about her parents I think." Arceus explained, finding it difficult to when he still didn't fully comprehend the reasoning behind Giratina breaking up with him.

Mesprit nodded in understanding. "Sometimes the simplest and foolish of things can lead to the destruction of something great. Love is a strong emotion but sometimes other feelings can cloud its light but that doesn't mean it's not there, you just have to push through the barrier and allow it to shine. "

Arceus blinked in bewilderment. "Uh…I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

Mesprit sighed, and her eyes hardened. "Are you giving up?"

Arceus was surprised. "Excuse me?"

"Are you giving up on Giratina and love?" Mesprit asked, pressing the matter. "Are you going to let her go? Just give up on the love you had for her?"

Arceus thought about this. "Well…I…I'm not sure" He wasn't sure what to say. He looked down at the sketch before him, it was of the nameless creature. Absentmindedly he wrote Giratina's name besides it, for some reason it seemed to fit. Arceus's counterpart, Giratina. His mind became dazed, he really did miss her

"What do you want Arceus?" Mesprit enquired interrupting his thoughts.

"I…I…" His brain whirled.

"What does your heart want? Listen to it." Mesprit ordered.

Arceus closed his eyes and listened. At first he didn't hear anything; well it wasn't like his heart was going to start talking to him. But as he focused on how he felt a thought struck him, and he opened his eyes.

"I want Giratina, I love her." Arceus stated. His eyes showed his certainty.

Mesprit smiled. "Then what are you doing here?" Arceus looked puzzled and she rolled her eyes, boys could be so dense at times. "Shouldn't you be telling her that?"

Arceus's eyes widened and then he grinned. "Thanks."

Mesprit shrugged his gratitude away, "All for the sake of love." She winked. "Now go get her Romeo!"

Arceus nodded and darted out of the café.

Mesprit sighed happily and leaned back in the chair. "Another successful couple and it's only ten in the morning, I should start charging."

-888-

Giratina fidgeted in her seat anxiously, straining to hear what the Head teacher was saying. The Head was standing before them on a podium just in front of the curtain covered mural, he was speaking to them through a microphone and although she was sat in the front row of the audience she could barely make out the words as her heartbeat drummed so loudly in her ears she was sure everyone could hear it.

What if they didn't like the mural? What if they reprimanded her for defacing the school with a rubbish drawing?

Her nervous heartbeat increased and she felt like she was suffocating. She began to desperately gasp for air, thankfully very few people noticed what she was doing as their attention was focused on the Head, and his voice that boomed out of the speakers covered the sound of her pants. However both her brothers, who were sat either side of her, seemed to notice because they each grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it in the same reassuring manner Arceus had done so long ago.

'_Arceus.'_ She mused wishfully. How was he? Was he here? She hadn't seen him when she searched the crowds. Of course he wasn't here, why would he come to the unveiling of a mural created by her? She had told him to leave her alone after all.

Suddenly the Head's voice broke through her thoughts as she heard him say the words she had been waiting for and dreading at the same time.

"And without further ado, I would like to reveal to you Origin's new mural, created by the budding artist Giratina Creation."

The audience clapped and the Head walked off stage. Giratina felt her heart freeze as the curtains were pulled back and she held her breath. The sound of her heartbeat increased.

_Boom, Boom!_

Everyone was silent.

_Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!_

Did they not like it?

_Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!_

Were they all so appalled that they couldn't speak?

_Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, BOOM, BOOM!_

And then the Head spoke.

His expression was frozen with shock. "Well…I've never seen a mural so…" Giratina winced. Bad? Hideous? Ugly? "…Incredible." The audience broke into cheers and applause. Giratina's eyes widened and she breathed again. "This truly is a magnificent and inspirational piece of work, congratulations Miss Creation you have achieved the expected standards and above."

Giratina smiled gratefully.

The mural was centred around an enlargement of the Jewel of Life, its colours shining almost as lively in the picture as it did in real life. The golden cross-like wheel surrounded the jewel, and in each of its four sections was a painting of a different world. The Time Dimension, which was decorated blue with floating diamonds and a pathway through time, was opposite The Space Dimension, which was pinky purple coloured with drifting pearls. The other two worlds that were opposite one another was the Real World and of course the Reverse World. Sprouting from the wheel was streams of colours that were designed to look like the various elemental types; Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Dark, Steel, Bug, Rock, Ground, Poison, Flying, Fighting, and Normal.

Overall the mural was very impressive but what made it special to Giratina was because it was the first piece of artwork she had created with the help of her friends, and to her that meant a lot.

-888-

Later when the majority of the crowd had disappeared home Giratina found herself standing alone to the side. Before the recent events this had been a common thing for Giratina but now the time she spent alone was becoming a lot rarer.

After the mural had been revealed much of the audience had come up to give her their congratulations on her artistic achievement. Even Mr Voltorb who had been a member of the audience confessed it was a very fine piece of work though this still didn't mean she was allowed to draw in his lessons; some things never change. Cresselia and Darkrai had been there too, they'd both commended her although Cresselia did most of the talking whilst Darkrai just stood there. Dialga and Palkia had informed her of how proud they were of her and they'd even apologized for not acknowledging her at school, they promised from then on that things were going to be different.

A lot of things seemed different now. Giratina had not only noticed a change in her life but also a change in her. She felt stronger now, more assured, and she felt much happier than she had ever before. However it still felt like something was missing and she knew exactly what or rather whom.

She sighed inwardly. She knew she had really messed things up with Arceus but she was determined to fix them. The next time she saw Arceus she was going to go up to him and tell him exactly how much she was in love with him, it didn't matter where they were or who heard, all that mattered was Arceus knew exactly what she felt for him.

"It's a very impressive piece of work, maybe even your best yet."

The voice came from behind her. She didn't have to turn to see who it was; she would know that voice anywhere. To say she was surprised to find him there let alone talking to her would be an understatement however she managed to maintain her cool composure, the years of hiding her true emotions had paid off.

"Did you ever doubt me?" She replied calmly, keeping her back to him.

"I wouldn't have even known you were painting the mural if your brothers hadn't told me." He informed. She'd kill her brothers later. Arceus sighed inwardly and ran a hand through his hair. He wished she would face him so that he could see those beautiful scarlet eyes again, although perhaps not seeing her face would make it a lot easier to say what he had come to say. "Giratina I'm sorry."

Giratina's eyes widened; she hadn't been expecting that. What did he have to be sorry for? She was the one who had messed everything up.

Arceus continued. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for not being able to say you love me, I rushed you and whatever issues you have I want you to know I'll always be there for you."

"Don't be." Giratina said firmly.

Arceus blinked in surprise. "W…what?"

"I said don't be." Giratina replied. "You don't have to apologize, it was my fault and I'm sorry." She turned around so that ruby red met chartreuse green. Arceus could see the passionate determination burning in them; he had missed seeing those sparks of life. "Arceus," Giratina felt her stomach flutter; it was now or never. "I love you."

Arceus felt his heart leap and his head spin. She loved him? Giratina loved him!

"You don't have to force yourself, it's okay if you don't love me." Arceus reassured although the words pierced at his heart.

Giratina shook her head and smiled a sincere smile. "I'm not forcing myself, I really do love you…and…and…I've missed you."

That was all Arceus needed to hear. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a warm embrace. He rested his chin on her head and she snuggled into his chest.

"I've missed you too." He whispered into her silky hair.

And then they kissed; it was a soft warm and gentle kiss that expressed all the heartfelt emotions that simple words could not describe, and to Giratina it was like the Real World and the Reverse World were combining, or in other words it was paradise.

-888-

"I vote we go to Miltank's Milkshakes to celebrate." Palkia cheered as the six of them exited the school.

"But we went there to celebrate yesterday." Dialga pointed out.

"Yes but now we can celebrate the mural being a success." Palkia explained. "Plus Arceus wasn't with us yesterday."

Arceus, who had his arm wrapped round Giratina's waist shrugged. "I don't really mind where we go, just as long as we're together." He placed a quick kiss on Giratina's cheek.

Giratina rolled her eyes playfully. "That is so cheesy."

Arceus grinned at her. "But it works."

Around his neck hung the dazzling Jewel of Life, Giratina had given it to him as she had no use for it and it really did suit him, it brought out the chartreuse green of his eyes very well.

"I think it's sweet." Cresselia remarked with a blissful sigh, she turned her gaze on Darkrai. "What do you think Darkrai?"

"I agree with Giratina." Darkrai stated. Arceus felt a shiver go up his spine; unlike the others he still had to get used to Darkrai's eerie manner.

Cresselia frowned and tried to storm away from her boyfriend however Darkrai swiftly grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers. Cresselia's cheeks went the same colour as her fringe.

"So, is that a yes to the celebrating?" Palkia asked hopefully, ruining the moment.

"I'm not going to Milktank's Milkshakes twice in two days." Dialga informed, Palkia pouted.

"We don't have to go to Milktank's Milkshakes; we could always go somewhere else." Arceus suggested. Palkia perked up.

"Where do you suggest we go?" Dialga enquired.

Giratina grinned her signature grin. "Well there's this darling little café by the lake that I think you'll just love."

As the six friends walked away a single ray of sunlight hit the mural, illuminating its colours and causing it to shine. The glittering light spread to the writing underneath, the words Giratina had carefully written glowed gold in the light of the sunbeam.

"_Whether in symmetry or in distortion sometimes to see things clearly you need to look in reverse."_

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! It's done! I am so happy with this although saying that there are probably a lot of mistakes that I have overlooked. But Giratina is offically my favourite Legendary along with Mew, and I simply adore Godmodeshipping.<strong>

**I'd like to say thank you to all those who have reviewed and added this story to their favourites. I'd especially like to thank PeAcEwOlF who has not only added this story to their favourites but also added me as a favourite author and was the first to review the first chapter and second, Woo! Go PeAcEwOlF!**

**Thank you PeAceEwOlF and everyone else, I really appreciate what you've done and I'm glad you enjoyed the story after all I write these stories for the enjoyment of others = )**

**- Persephatta**


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